Missouri State's Jared Dixon celebrates after making a near half court final shot to win against the Illinois State Redbirds at JQH Arena in Springfield on Feb. 10, 2019. Bruce E. Stidham/Special to the News-Leader

Missouri State against the Illinois State Redbirds at JQH Arena in Springfield on Feb. 10, 2019. Head coach Dana Ford shouts encouragement to MSU's Josh Webster. Bruce E. Stidham/Special to the News-Leader

Jarred Dixon knocked down a half-court shot at the buzzer that Missouri State fans are going to remember for a long time.

The shot not only gave the Bears a win but it also solidified Missouri State as a serious contender in the Missouri Valley Conference with six games remaining in Dana Ford's first season as head coach.

In this edition of our 10 thoughts column, you'll find more perspective on Sunday's miracle including Josh Webster's heroics, words of advice from the man behind the epic radio call, outlook on the rest of the season and more.

Webster — for the third time in the last 1:17 — raced down the court and got a layup to go. But this one came with contact and he was able to hit a free throw to get Missouri State within two.

And the rest is history.

Keandre Cook fumbled a poor inbounds pass, which turned into a scramble at midcourt, which turned into a miracle.

This wasn't just about Dixon. This was about a program announcing its arrival.

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Missouri State coach Dana Ford celebrates the last-second win against the Illinois State Redbirds at JQH Arena in Springfield on Feb. 10, 2019.(Photo: Bruce E. Stidham/Special to the News-Leader)

2. Dana Ford is in a two-man race for MVC Coach of the Year

We've written about the job Ford's been doing this season and we are starting to have a feeling that we're nowhere close to being done.

With the roster Ford has this season and the adjustments he's made, he's a legitimate top two candidate for the Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year award.

Ford has the Bears two games above .500 in the MVC — something the program never did under Paul Lusk. He also has the Bears in good position to avoid playing in a play-in game for the first time since 2017.

The adjustments Ford has made has been perhaps the most impressive part of the team's recent success.

In the preseason and early part of the year, Ford preached how he wanted to run up and down the court in an up-tempo offense to go along with a suffocating defense.

Now, the Bears milk the shot clock. They wait until they can get a one-on-one matchup they like and then attack. It's slow, but it's what the Bears have had to do with the pieces they have. It's an obvious coaching adjustment and it's a breath of fresh air for the Missouri State faithful.

The Coach of the Year race could come down to the final game of the regular season.

Drake's Darian DeVries has done wonders with a Bulldogs offense that ranks near the top in most statistical categories. The first year head coach's team didn't have high expectations coming into the season but he still has his team tied for second in the MVC.

The advantage might be in DeVries' favor right now, but if the Bears were to beat the Bulldogs in the season finale and place ahead of Drake in the conference, the award should go to Ford.

3. Art Hains nailed the call. Here's his advice for young broadcasters.

If you put the Bears aside, the biggest winner of Sunday's game had to be Art Hains.

The longtime "Voice of the Bears" — once again — nailed the call of a shot that will go down in Missouri State history. His call has been heard on SportsCenter and has even been placed along with Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On."

Hains' call began by perfectly describing the hectic situation where Keandre Cook came away with a steal to only lose control and have the ball roll to midcourt with bodies diving all around. The excitement he had when Dixon's shot went in is exactly what you want to hear from a hometown call. He immediately described the post-shot scene after the shot.

"Dixon from halfcourt.. made it! He made it from halfcourt and the Bears win!" Hains yelled. "He made it from halfcourt and the Bears beat Illinois State and there is a dogpile on the court at JQH. Unbelievable!"

We caught up with Hains — in his 38th year calling MSU hoops — the morning after making the call.

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Art Hains(Photo: News-Leader File Photo)

N-L: How many times have you listened to yourself following the game?

Hains: Probably six or seven times. I heard it on SportsCenter with the hopes of seeing the play. They spent two minutes on it and had the call. My wife was working a jigsaw puzzle and I told her she wasn’t going to believe this. The Celine Dion version someone made was a nice touch.

N-L: Where does this call rank up there for you in Missouri State history?

Hains: As far as a single moment in time, we’ve got the Jeremy Eierman walk-off against Oklahoma State and the Matt Cepicky walk-off against Arkansas in 1999 as moments. Those ended games. The football team in '89 kicked a field goal to beat Maine in the playoffs. In '87, Winston Garland hit a 3 over Brigham Young in OT. The nature of it is such that it’ll probably go in the Top 10. No. 1 is the win over WSU in '11 to win the conference. In 1999 there was the one against Mizzou.

N-L: Do you prepare at all for something like that. Maybe what you're going to say if there somehow is a game-winner?

Hains: The probable outcome is that they're going to lose, so no. You still have to steal the ball. No time to plan anything. Can’t plan a halfcourt shot.

N-L: What advice do you have for young broadcasters when it comes to making that big of a call?

Hains: You just have to keep up and say what you see. Fortunately, it was right in front of me. I believe I said they were face-guarding the inbound, they make a poor pass and it’s stolen briefly. The ball got loose and the clock is running. Fortunately, I identified Dixon right away from halfcourt and then you just react. In that moment, a lot happened in a short period of time. You just have to keep up. You just have to say what you see.

Missouri State's Jarred Dixon hits a three at the end of the first half giving the Bears a 36-23 lead over the Southern Illinois Salukis at JQH Arena on Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2019. Nathan Papes/News-Leader

4. Winning the conference is a real possibility but also difficult

Missouri State is a win over Evansville and a Loyola loss at Bradley on Wednesday away from playing in a first-place matchup in Chicago on Sunday.

The Missouri Valley Conference is that close this year and the Bears are right there in the thick of it.

Missouri State's schedule the rest of the season features a pair of tough road games against teams it has already beaten, three home games and a road matchup with Evansville.

When comparing the rest of the Bears' season to the Loyola, Illinois State and Drake, it appears the MVC is in for a wild finish.

Missouri State (3-3 vs. remaining opponents)

Feb. 13 - @ Evansville (lost 70-64 on Jan. 16)

Feb. 17 - @ Loyola (beat 70-35 on Jan. 23)

Feb. 20 - Northern Iowa (lost 64-59 on Feb. 2)

Feb. 23 - Indiana State (beat 72-57 on Jan. 8)

Feb. 27 - @ Illinois State (beat 66-65 on Feb. 10)

March 2 - Drake (lost 74-63 on Jan. 20)

Loyola (2-2 vs. remaining opponents)

Feb. 13 - @ Bradley

Feb. 17 - Missouri State (lost 70-35 on Jan. 23)

Feb. 20 - Evansville (lost 67-48 on Jan. 8)

Feb. 24 - @ Southern Illinois (beat 75-50 on Jan. 27)

Feb. 27 - @ Northern Iowa (beat 61-60 on Jan. 30)

March 2 - Bradley

Drake (5-1 vs. remaining opponents)

Feb. 12 - @ Southern Illinois (beat 82-70 on Jan. 8)

Feb. 16 - Valparaiso (beat 70-59 on Jan. 26)

Feb. 19 - Bradley (beat 69-52 on Jan. 16)

Feb. 24 - @ Illinois State (lost 69-55 on Jan. 30)

Feb. 27 - Indiana State (beat 68-62 on Feb. 2)

March 2 - @ Missouri State (beat 74-63 on Jan. 20)

Illinois State (4-2 vs. remaining opponents)

Feb. 13 - @ Northern Iowa (beat 70-69 on Jan. 8)

Feb. 16 - Bradley (lost 85-68 on Jan. 23)

Feb. 20 - @ Indiana State (beat 76-62 on Jan. 27)

Feb. 24 - Drake (beat 69-55 on Jan. 30)

Feb. 27 - Missouri State (lost 66-65 on Feb. 10)

March 2 - @ Southern Illinois (beat 59-58 on Jan. 15)

Obviously, the best way to win the conference would be to win out and someone helps by beating Loyola.

With the way the Bears are playing, they're likely to have more close games the rest of the season. The odds of a halfcourt shot at the buzzer to win every game are pretty slim.

The Bears also appear to have the most difficult schedule of the remaining games. Loyola and Illinois State are both road challenges while MSU has also lost to a pair of teams it will host to close out the season.

Missouri State is still the hottest team in the conference and has been more consistent as of late than the other three contenders atop the league.

Loyola has a good grip atop the conference with a two-game lead and also beating Drake in both its matchups.

But if Loyola has a dropoff as it begins to show signs of figuring things out, this could be a thrilling finish with the Bears right there in the middle of it.

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Missouri State against the Illinois State Redbirds at JQH Arena in Springfield on Feb. 10, 2019.(Photo: Bruce E. Stidham/Special to the News-Leader)

5. How Arch Madness seedings are shaping out

Even though a lot can change between now and March 7's opening night of the MVC Tournament in St. Louis, we're starting to get a good idea of where teams will be seeded due to the current standings and NET rankings.

If the season were to end today, Missouri State would be a No. 3 seed due to having a better NET ranking than Illinois State but a worse one than Drake. A No. 3 seed would put the Bears against Valparaiso — a difficult matchup for the Bears.

With a 20-spot difference between MSU and Drake, the Bears will likely need to finish with a better record than Drake at the end of the regular season to have a shot at the No. 2 seed.

The difference between getting a No. 2 and a No. 3 seed could prove to be bigger this year. Valparaiso is a dangerous No. 6 seed at the moment, especially to the Bears. Being able to play one of the play-in teams coming off a game from the night before would be a big help for the Bears.

Missouri Valley Conference standings

1. Loyola 9-3

T2. Drake 7-5

T2. Missouri State 7-5

T2. Illinois State 7-5

T5. Southern Illinois 6-6

T5. Valparaiso 6-6

T7. Bradley 5-7

T7. Northern Iowa 5-7

T9. Indiana State 4-8

T9. Evansville 4-8

NET Rankings after Sunday's games

No. 118 - Loyola

No. 139 - Drake

No. 157 - Southern Illinois

No. 159 - Missouri State

No. 179 - Valparaiso

No. 180 - Illinois State

No. 185 - Evansville

No. 189 - Bradley

No. 194 - Indiana State

No. 200 - Northern Iowa

If Arch Madness were to be played today

No. 8 Northern Iowa vs. No. 9 Evansville - Play-In

No. 7 Bradley vs. No. 10 Indiana State - Play-In

No. 1 Loyola vs. Winner of No. 8 vs. 9

No. 2 Drake vs. Winner of No. 7 vs. 10

No. 4 Illinois State vs. No. 5 Southern Illinois

No. 3 Missouri State vs. No. 6 Valparaiso

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Missouri State's Jared Dixon celebrates after making a near half court final shot to win against the Illinois State Redbirds at JQH Arena in Springfield on Feb. 10, 2019.(Photo: Bruce E. Stidham/Special to the News-Leader)

6. You have to be thrilled for Jarred Dixon and Ryan Kreklow

If you're not thrilled for Dixon and Ryan Kreklow, then you're either not a Bears fan or have no heart. Or maybe both.

Dixon and Kreklow have been through tough times for the Missouri State basketball program. They went through finishing with the worst finish for an MVC preseason favorite along with going through years of public frustration over their head coach and having him ultimately fired.

The two — along with Darian Scott, Ross Owens and Jared Ridder — stuck it out and returned to play for Ford. There are nine new players around them.

But this year, it feels like all their hard work is paying off.

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Missouri State's Ryan Kreklow celebrates after the Bears' last-second win against the Illinois State Redbirds at JQH Arena.(Photo: Bruce E. Stidham/Special to the News-Leader)

Dixon's buzzer-beater gave the two at least an exclamation point at the end of their careers with a possibility of adding more.

The two have taken different roles than were originally expected before the season. Still, they're contributing to meaningful wins this late in the season really for the first time in their careers.

Ford talks about wanting to build a culture. Now that the culture appears to be taking shape, the two seniors are a big reason for it and their presence this season will have an impact on the program for years to come.

With a minimum of seven games left for the duo, they should be celebrated for what they've done and their impact.

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Missouri State coach Dana Ford celebrates as the Bears win against the Illinois State Redbirds at JQH Arena in Springfield on Feb. 10, 2019.(Photo: Bruce E. Stidham/Special to the News-Leader)

7. The Bears have been extremely clutch as of late

Having won three of the last four games, each win has featured clutch play late, whether it was by Dixon, Webster or Cook.

Dixon hit the game-winner against Illinois State and a 3-pointer late against Southern Illinois late to put that game awa,y while Cook hit a pair of free throws with 2.3 seconds left against Valpo in overtime to win the game. Cook also scored five points in the final 43 seconds to help MSU come back to beat Bradley earlier in conference play.

Sunday's win now makes the Bears 5-3 in games decided by six points or less. In comparison, the Bears were 5-10 in such games a season ago.

The Bears are now winning games they normally hadn't. Give Ford the credit, give the players the credit, but — in the end — things are changing.

Players aren't afraid of the big moments and Sunday's game proved the Bears don't quit, no matter the circumstances.

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Missouri State against the Illinois State Redbirds at JQH Arena in Springfield on Feb. 10, 2019.(Photo: Bruce E. Stidham/Special to the News-Leader)

8. Are the Bears peaking at the wrong time?

Going into Missouri State games recently, you start to wonder "is this the game the have a setback?" because they has been so good as of late.

After all, the Bears haven't won five of six games in MVC play since they won the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season championship in 2010-11.

But they haven't dropped off yet.

Now that the Bears have won five of six with this roster, is it fair to think the Bears are peaking at the wrong time?

The best time to peak, of course, is those three days in St. Louis during the MVC Tournament. Now that it's less than a month away and because the Bears have been playing the way they have been for just under a month, it'll be interesting to see if the Bears can keep this up.

Can they? Absolutely. These Bears are for real and are capable of beating anyone on any day. Their style of play is one that can help them put together a three-game winning streak in St. Louis.

This season was all about seeing consistent improvement as the year went along. The Bears have done that and are contenders in the conference a year ahead of schedule.

Missouri State's last two games at Illinois State and a season finale against Drake is the toughest two-game stretch for any team in the conference to close out the season. Coming out with a win in either or both of those could go a long way in the postseason.

9. The week ahead...

It's now important for the Bears to somehow move on from their incredible win over Illinois State. Thankfully for the Bears, they get perhaps the worst team in the conference to help with any possible hangover.

Evansville has lost six of seven and is tied for last in the conference.

Still, Missouri State can't afford to lose to the worst team in the conference twice in one season. The Purple Aces beat the Bears 70-64 on Jan. 16 at JQH Arena.

If the Bears are going to have any aspirations of winning the conference, they have to win at Evansville on Wednesday.

Following that game could be the biggest one of the year.

Loyola is first in the conference and is two games up on the Bears. If Loyola loses Wednesday against a Bradley team on the rise, the Bears and Ramblers could be playing for first place.

The Ramblers are much better than the embarrassing 70-35 whooping they took on Jan. 23. It is extremely unlikely they're going to lose like that again.

During Loyola's recent stretch, Marques Townes has found his groove while scoring 18 or more points in four of the last five games — including a 32-point performance in an 86-64 win over Drake.

Loyola could use this week as separation. The Bears can make the rest of the season a whole lot more fun.

10. MVC Power Rankings

1. Loyola (Chicago) — Since the Ramblers' 70-35 loss at Missouri State, they are 4-1 with their lone loss coming to Illinois State on the road. After a beatdown of Drake and a comeback win over Valparaiso, the Ramblers could be feeling the magic again.

2. Drake — The Bulldogs have had a tough time with the conference's best teams with losses at home to Illinois State and a road loss at Loyola. They still beat the Bears by 11 earlier in the season, so we'll give the Bulldogs the edge.

3. Missouri State — There's not a hotter team in the MVC right now. The Bears are winners of five of their last six and were close to being 6-0 during the stretch. The matchup at Loyola on Sunday could shake these rankings up.

4. Illinois State — The Redbirds were just 0.2 seconds away from being a game out of first place. Now they find themselves two games out and in a three-way tie for second. This is still a talented roster capable of winning it all in the end.

5. Valparaiso — The Crusaders fell victim to a second-half comeback from Loyola on Sunday. Valpo is now losers of five of their last six — with its one win coming in a 16-point victory over the Redbirds.

6. Southern Illinois — The Salukis have won three of their last four but they haven't been impressive. SIU gave MSU some fits with its size but hasn't been able to compete with anyone else at the top of the conference.

7. Bradley — The Braves might be worth keeping an eye on. They've now won three of four and have scored 79 or more points in each of the wins. This could be a team that is capable of an upset come St. Louis.

8. Northern Iowa — The Panthers have been within striking distance in each of their last five games but they've only been able to win two of them. UNI's win over MSU has to be the most impressive of the remaining teams at the bottom of this ranking.

9. Indiana State — The Sycamores were one of the better teams in the conference going into league play, but they've been dreadful as of late. Indiana State has lost four of its last five — but hey, at least it beat Evansville.

10. Evansville — Now losers of six of seven, the Walter McCarty era is beginning as was expected. Better days are ahead for the Purple Aces.

Wyatt D. Wheeler is a reporter and columnist for the Springfield News-Leader. You can reach him at 417-371-6987, by email at wwheeler@news-leader.com or join the conversation on Twitter where his handle is @WyattWheeler_NL.